Water-motor.



B. E. KIRTLEY.

WATER MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1913 Patented May 25, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS CU" PHOTGIJTHO" WASHINGIDN. D. C.

R. E. KIRTLEY.

WATER MOTOR APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. 1913.

Patented May 2 5, 1915.

I 4 $HEET$SHEET 4.

z /q. 7. Q

ZUi Z nesses'.

RICHARD E. KIRTLEY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

WATER-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed July 29, 1913. Serial No. 781,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD E. Km'rLnY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVater-Motors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The invention has for its object: First. To permit of the automatic rise and fall of a water motor, during operation, with the tides. Second. To utilize the power of a stream in a sluice or water course at the different stages of the water. Third. To control the independency of the power transmission in the rise and fall of the water motor with the tide. Fourth. To enlarge the area of breast surface in a current wheel and thereby increase the generation of motor power, and fifth. To protect the bearings and the motor from sand or debris in the water bed or sluiceway.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts such as will be first fully described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an isometric view showing the motor in position for operation within a sluiceway, also showing the main floor of the power distributing station and the power transmitting devices, the position of the motor in the rise of water at one of its stages, being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the invention as seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the sluiceway, the motor and motor frame on the line X X on Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a plan view of the floor of the power station showing the power transmission wheel and the independently movable motor shaft, also showing the oblique entrance to the sluiceway. Fig. 5 is a view of the sluiceway nd motor as seen in Fig. 3 showing a modification of the doors or blades. Fig. 6 is a broken detail isometric view of the base of the motor frame showing the cross beams and the pivot post for the rotary power shaft. Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the top to the frame of the motor, portions of the covering plate being broken away to show the air tight compartments. Fig. 8 is an isometric view of a portion of the rotary power shaft showing the notches in the angular side portions for the door supporting bars.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings 10 10 indicate the vertical parallel walls of a sluiceway which are built in a water course and in the bed of the stream, the walls 10 being preferably of concrete. These walls as shown extend upwardly from the said bed a considerable distance above the line of the surface of the water at high tide. The approaches to the entrance to the sluiceway consist of obliquely arranged water guiding walls 12 which are inclined outwardly at an angle to the walls 10 of the sluiceway and extend upwardly from the bed of the water course a distance on walls 10 at the height, of the water at high tide. As shown the bottom of the sluiceway is provided with a concrete bottom 14 which permits of a free flow of the water and a bed for the motor frame, hereinafter described, at its lowest position in the sluiceway.

The motor frame referred to is approximately rectangular in cross section and in construction is designed to afford the least resistance to the currents of water. The base of the frame consists of the parallel beams 15, placed edgewise in position and arranged a short distance apart. These beams extend in a diagonal direction in respect to the frame and at an angle to the opposing walls 10 of the sluiceway and to within a short distance of the inner surfaces.

of the walls 10 of the sluiceway, the ends of the respective beams which approach nearest said walls being cut away at 16 at an angle to the beams and parallel with said walls. Between the horizontal beams 15, at a point intermediate the ends of said beams, is secured rigidly the lower end of an upright pivot post 17, the upper end of which post extends upwardly a short distance and over said end is fitted a hollow cast sleeve or casing 18 composed of suitable metal and having a cone shaped upper end 19. Upon the four sides of the casing 18 at a point a slight distance below the cone shaped end 19 are hollow arms 20, the openings 21 being square and inclined downwardly at an angle to the casing 18. Extending at right angles to the beams 15 are the parallel base beams 22 which are arranged upon the opposing sides of the pivot post 17, the portions of beams 15 and 22 at their junction with each other being halved as seen at 22 in Fig. 6. The beams 22 are the same in length as the beams 15, the ends adjacent the inner surface of the walls 10 being cut away in a manner corresponding to the ends of beams 15 at 16. The central portions of the beams 15 and 22 are secured rigidly to the pivot post 17. Between the respective outer end portions of the base beams'15 and 22 of the motor frame at a point a short distance inwardly from the line of the outer ends of said beams and the inner surfaces of the guide beams 24, hereinafter described, are secured rigidly the lower end portions of the vertical corner posts 25, of the frame, which as shown are rectangular in cross section and extend upwardly the desired height of the motor frame. For the purpose of utilizing the force as well as the most rapid flowing currentsat the various stages 'of the water, the height of the frame of the motor will be such as to rest upon the surface of the water at its lowest water mark, in which position the frame of the motor rests upon the bed l4 of the sluiceway.

In order to afford braces for the pivot post 17,brace or truss bars 26, are secured at their upper ends with the hollow arms 20 on the sleeve 18 of said post 17, the lower ends of which arms extend downwardly between the outer ends of the respective parallel beams 15 and 22 and abut against the inner surfaces of the lower ends of the vertical corner posts 25, between the respective beams and tween the ends of the respective beams 15 and 22 are vertical anchor beams 24, the inner portions of which extend within or are molded partially within the concrete walls 10, theouter portions extending outwardly at an angle to the surfaces of the walls 10, and between the adjacent respective ends of the cross beams 15 and 22 a short distance. These guide beams 24, extend from the bottom 14 of the sluiceway upwardly to the line of the top of the side walls 10 of the sluiceway and form guide tracks for the vertical movements ofthe motor frame hereinbefore described.

The top to the motor frame for the purpose of giving buoyancy thereto is made hollow and consists of a centrally positioned casting 27, directly above the pivot post 17,

which ispreferably square in form. Upon the outer surfaces of each side of the casting 27 are the lugs 27, with which lugs are rigidly connected the parallel beams 28, which are directly above the beams 15 and 22 of the base of the frame, the outer ends of the said beams extending upon each side of the respective guide beams 24, in the walls 10 of the sluiceway, and are cut away at an angle as described of the beams 15 and 22. Between the outer end portions of these together. In the central portion of the cast- 7 ing 27 is a circular shaft opening 27 Over the beams 28 and 29 is extended a large plate 31, preferably of metal, which forms the top or covering plate and isprovided with a central opening 32, which registers with the opening 27 x in the casting 27. This plate 31 is secured hermetically to the upper surface of the casting 27 Over the lower surfaces of the beams 28 and 29 is extended a large covering plate 33, the outer portions of which, as well as the outer portions of the plate 31, are overlapped on theouter surfaces of the beams 29 and are sealed to gether hermetically in any suitable manner. In said plate 33 is a circular openingof the same size as the opening 32 in the plate 31 and in line with said opening, the plate being hermetically secured to casting 27 At the points in said plates 31 and 33 adjacent the corner posts 25 said plates are cut away and the cut portions overlapped on the outer surfaces of the corner posts 25 and secured hermetically at all points, thus making the top of the motor frame buoyant by means of the air-tight compartments 33* between the beams.

Between the outer end portions of the beams 15 and 22 of the base of the motor frame and the beams 28 in the top of said frame are pivoted between the corner posts 25 and the inner surfaces of the vertical guide beams 24 the rollers 34, which travel on the inner surfaces of said guide beams 24 and permit of a free vertical movement of the motor frame.

Within the shaft opening 27 in the cast ing 27 of the top of the motor frame, is inserted the lower end of a rotary power shaft 35, made from suitable material, preferably lumber, and square in cross section. In the lower end of shaft 35 is a cone shaped depression 36, which receives the cone shaped bearing 19 on the sleeve 18 on the pivot post 17 on the base frame. On the shaft 35, is a casting 37 which is cast with a square central opening 38 to receive shaft 35, and an outer circular surface 39 fitting shaft opening 27 and an upper external flange 40.

The casting 37 is slipped over the upper end of shaft 35 and thence within the opening 27 in the top of the motor frame, the flange 40 bearing on the upper surfaces of the plate 31, thus forming the upper bearin g of the motor proper hereinafter described.

The motor consists of a series of vertical swinging plates or doors which receive the force of the fluid and communicate rotary motion to the shaft 35 in such a manner as to obtain the maximum power of the current as is attained in the following construction of the several door supporting parts. These parts consist of a series of cross plates or bars arranged in a series, as shown, of four, in the upper portion of the motor frame, also in the central and lower portions of said frame; the construction of the parts in the upper portion of the motor frame consisting first of the parallel bars 41 and 42 on the opposite corners of shaft 35, which are arranged diagonally tothe flat surfaces of the shaft 35, and the inner portions fitted within horizontal notches 43 cut in the corners of said shaft 35 as seen in detail in Figs. 3 and 8. These bars are approximately the same in length and extended outwardly past each other at their outer ends thus making the portions long and short past the lines of the recesses. The outer ends of these bars 41 and 42 are cut away at an angle thereto and inwardly in the direction of each other as at 42. Extending at right angles to the bars 41 and 42 are the parallel bars 44 and 45, arranged in position directly above the said bars 41 and 42, the inner portions of the said bars being inserted within the notches 46, extending diagonally to the shaft 35 and directly above the lines of the upper surfaces of the bars 41 and 42, these notches 46 being made in the opposite corners of the shaft 35 to that having the notches 43, the long and short ends of the bars 44 and 45 extending outwardly a corresponding distance to that of said bars 41 and 42.

The portions of the bars 41 and 42 and 44 and 45 adjacent the shaft 35 are bolted together by the bolts 47. Directly above the bars 44 and 45 are the parallel bars 48 and 49 which extend on opposite sides of shaft 35, and at an angle to the portions of bars 44 and 45, adjacent said shaft and are extended upon the flat surfaces of said shaft.

The inner or short'end of the bar 48 termin'ates upon the upper surface of the bar 41 crossing the bar 44 to which it is secured by the bolt 51, and the inner or short end of the bar 49 terminates upon the upper surface of the bar 42 crossing the bar 45 and being secured by the bolt 52 to the said bar 42 and to the short end of the bar 44 by the bolt 53, the bars being secured by suitable bolts to the respective bars 41, 42, 44 and 45 in like manner.

Upon the upper surfaces of bars 48 and 49 and extending upon the sides of the shaft 35, at right angles to the bars 48 and 49 are the upper bars 54 and 55 in the series, the inner portions of which are abutted against the flat surfaces of the shaft 35, as described of the bars 48 and 49 with which said bars 54 and 55 extend at right angles. The short end of the bar 54 terminates upon the upper surface of the bar 45 and is secured thereto by the bolt 57 and the portion of the bar above the short end of the bar 48 is secured thereto by the bolt 58. The short end of the bar 55 terminates upon the upper surface of bar 44 and is secured by the bolt 59 thereto, and to the upper surface of bar 49 by the bolt 60, thus bracing the bars together, the other portions of the bars being bolted together at suitable points where said bars cross each other.

The construction of the door supports as described in the central and lower portions of the motor frame are precisely the same as described in the upper portion of the motor frame, the respective bars 41 and 42, 44 and 45, 48 and 49, and 54 and 55, which at their long ends support the doors or current resisting boards, being in vertical lines with like bars in the central and lower portions of the motor frame.

The outer ends of the aforesaid arms or bars it will be observed are tangential to the shaft 35, hence the angles of the bars vary and one arm or bar being reinforced by the other, great strength is attained.

To the outer ends of the aforesaid arms or bars are hinged by any suitable hinge 61, the vertical swinging doors or current resisting boards 62. These doors, as shown, are made of separate longitudinal strips 63, secured edgewise together in an ordinary manner, but may be formed in one piece from suitable material. The upper ends of the said doors 62 extend a short distance above the line of the upper bars in the series in the upper portion of the motor frame and extend downwardly to a position a short distance below the lines of the lower bars in the lower series of bars in the lower portion of the motor frame and are cut away in an outward and downwardly inclined plane as at 64. One of said doors 62 is hinged at its outer edge portion by means of the hinges 61, to the outer ends of the respective bars 41, in the vertical series, and free to swing either Way. The other doors latter is erected the corner posts-67 shown broken away. In this fioor is an opening 68, of considerable size, through which the upper end of the rotary power shaft 35 extends and is free to rotate without contact with the sides of said opening68, the said upper end, in the position of the motor frame at the bottom of the sluiceway, as seen in Fig. 1, extending a'considerable distance above the line of the upper surface of said floor 66.

Upon the upper surface of the floor is mounted horizontally a large rotary gear wheel 70, having an inner annular flange 7 0 I the teeth 71, being upon the lower edge portion of the wheel.

In order to support the wheel 70 for rotation upon the floor 66, the body of the wheel is formed of parallel fiat bars 72, spaced apart and extending from the inner surface of one side of the periphery of the wheel and upon opposing sides of a metal sleeve 7 3 fitting the upper end of shaft 35 to the opposite inner surfaces of said wheel and parallel with a line bisecting the axis of. said wheel. At right angles to the bars 72, are the parallel bars 7 3,, which with the bars 72 are halved together at their junction with each other, the said bars 73 extending parallel with and adjacent to the outer surfaces of a square metal sleeveon the shaft 35, which being slight so as to permit a sliding upward movement of the shaft 35 within the sleeve, the end of the said bars being rigidly connected with the inner surfaces of the periphery of the wheel 70 below the line of the annular flange 70*.

Extending at an angle to the bars 72 and 73 and diagonally to the shaft 35 are the parallel bars 7 4 and 75 spaced apart and located above said bars 72 and 7 3. These bars at their junction with each other are halved together, the ends of said bars extending upon the upper surface of the flange 70 and secured rigidly to the inner surface of the periphery of said Wheel.

Extending transversely to the outer ends of the respective bars 72 and 7 3 at points intermediate their halved portions and outer ends, are secured the ends of the channel bars 76, with the lower edge portion of which bars are connected the arms 7 7 which extend downwardly j and are inclined outwardly at an angle to the respective bars 7 2 and 73, and to the lower ends of which arms are pivoted the bevel wheels 78. Beneath the beveled wheels 78, is a circular track or plate 79, which is secured to the upper surface of the floor 66. Upon said surface of the floor is supported a horizontal power transmitting shaft 80, which is mounted'in the bearings 81, on said floor. Upon the inner end of the shaft is a cog wheel 82, which is in gear with the gear teeth 71 on the power transmitting wheel 70. In order to aid the buoyancy of the motor frame and equalize the weight of the shaft and motor frame and motor, supporting ropes or chains 83, are connected with staples'84 at the four ends and top of said motor frameand extended upwardly through the floor 66, and thence over the roller bearings 84, shown upon the upper surface of the floor and their outer ends extended over the rollers 85, thence downwardly through the opening'86, in the floor and with said ends 7 are connected the weights 87, sufficient to move the motor frame upwardly with the rise of the water. Itis obvious that the buoyancy of the motor frame may be still further increased by the duplication of airtight compartments, or these may be dispensed with and the whole weight sustained by counter-poised weights. 7 In operation the motor within the motor frame receives the force of water due to its flow upon the doors 62, which are in a closed position as seen in Figs. 1 and3, the currents which are diverted by the water-guiding walls 12, being largely accelerated in passing between the walls 10. The angles upon which these doors 62 are held makes the force of the water to strike against and close the doors one after another prior to the impact received in obtaining an angular position in the sluiceway, the major number of doors which are closed imparting rotation to shaft 35 at the speed maintained by the stream. In the direction of the currents which are indicated by arrows in Fig. 3, the doors are shown closed on the bars 55, 45, 49 and 41, the doors on the last bars mentioned as soon as the position of said bars are parallel with the sides of the sluiceway immediately turn upon its hinges and swings outwardly and rearwardly in the position as seen in Fig. 3. The doors in this latter position offer no resistance to the current and remain pendant at'the ends of the bars until the bars are moved in position by the rotary action of shaft 35 in position forwardly and suflicient to resist the current when the door folds automatically and continues in resistance to the current until again freed of the impact of said current.

As shown, the motor frame is at thebottom of the sluiceway. Upon the rise of-the water in the stream the motor frame moves upwardly automatically, the top of the motor frame maintaining an equilibrium with the surface of the water and taking a position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, in which position the upper end portion of shaft 35 slides upwardly within the sleeve opening between the halved portions of the .bars 72 and 73 and during the rotation of the cog wheel 70.

Instead of making a single door and hinging the door to the ends of the bars, a'

will close adjacent the hinges 91 of an adjacent door. In arrangement, the outer series of doors are hinged to the outer ends of the bars as seen in Fig. 3, the next door inwardly being hinged adjacent the free edges of the outer doors when in a closed position.

The power transmitted from the motor shaft 35 may be employed for transmitting motion to machinery of various kinds, such as electric generators, the pumping of water, and being inexpensively produced may be transmitted and utilized for all purposes.

The motors described may be advantageously employed in multiple in streams of ordinary rapidity of motion, the power not only of the currents but the body of the stream being utilized.

The features of the invention are such as may be adapted to wind motors with only minor changes inconstruction.

Such other modifications may be employed as are within the scope of the appended claims. 1

Having fully described my invention what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor for fluid energy, the combination with a frame for the motor comprising a top member, and a base frame, corner posts supporting the top member connected with the base frame, a pivot post on the base frame, a rotary motor shaft journaled in the top member, and mounted rotatably on the pivot post.

2. In a motor for fiuid energy, the combination with a frame for the motor comprising a top member, a base frame, corner posts supporting the top member and connected with the base frame, a pivot post on the base frame, a rotary motor shaft journaled in the top member and mounted rotatably on the pivot post, arms on said rotary shaft, and doors hinged to said arms and foldable upon the arms in the rotation of said shaft, and from the impact of the fluid energy.

3. In a motor for fluid energy, the combination with a frame for the motor comprising a top member, a base frame, corner posts supporting the top member connected with the base frame, a pivot post carried by the base frame, and a motor shaft journaled in the top member and mounted rotatably on the pivot post, arms connected with and extending tangentially to said shaft, and doors hinged to said arms.

4. In a motor for water courses, the combination with a frame for the motor having top and bottom members composed of para].- lel crossed beams, a centrally positioned pivot post connected with the bottom member, corner posts between the outer ends of said parallel crossed beams of the top and bottom members, and truss bars connected with the pivot post and abutting against the portions of said corner posts between the parallel arms of said bottom member.

5. A motor for water courses, comprising a frame for the motor having a floating top member, and a base member composed of crossed beams, a pivot post carried by said beams, a motor shaft having angular side portions mounted on the pivot post at an end, and having the other end extending through the top member of said frame, and a journal bearing for said shaft in said top member, arms on said shaft and doors hinged to said arms, with which the water comes into contact, and means for transmitting power from said shaft during its rotation.

6. A motor for water courses, comprising a frame having a floating top member and a base member composed of parallel crossed beams, a pivot post connected centrally with said beams, a motor shaft having angular sides and mounted rotatably on the pivot post at one end and having the other end extending through the top of said frame, a journal bearing for said shaft in said top member, bars connected with and extending tangentially to the sides of said shaft, doors hinged to said bars and actuated by the movement of the water, means for guiding said frame in the rising and falling thereof with the rise and fall of the water, and independently supported power transmitting means in sliding engagement with said shaft.

7. In amotor for fluid energy, the combination with a rotary power shaft, of arms connected with and extending tangentially to the sides of said shaft and at an angle to each other, the inner ends of said arms being connected rigidly with and adapted to brace the outward portions of said arms.

8. In a motor for fluid energy, the com- 7 said arms being extended to and adapted to bination With afrotary power shaft having form braces for each other. 7 an 'ular sides 0 arms connected With and extending in parallel positions at an angle RICHARD KIRTLEY' to each-other and tangentially to said shaft Witnesses:

- and means carried by said arms upon Which E. ERNEST MGKEIGHAN,

the Water imparts motion, the inner ends of ANNIE L. MCKEIGHAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

